Earning Alesha Dixon’s golden buzzer to automatically enter into the semi-final, 100 Voices of Gospel eventually made it into the finals of the talent show last year.

So impressed was acid-tongued Simon Cowell by the choir’s performance in the audition that he bestowed a rare “that was perfection” accolade, adding that they could be the first choir to win BGT. Dixon gushed, “Everything about you. everything you represent is my idea of heaven.” Their lively and powerful rendition of ‘This Little Light of Mine‘ wowed the audience, who gave them a standing ovation.

A bit of controversy regarding the choir emerged during the competition – that a third of the singers were professionals, with several already having their own recording contracts. This fuelled criticism of the programme which is supposed to unearth the country’s unknown talents.

It was also reported that 100 Voices had booked concert dates in European cities, with tickets priced at £100 each. Apparently, they had also won four prizes at America’s Gospel Music Association Dove Awards and had sold 200,000 records.

According to The Sun Onlinenews portal, an insider had told them that 100 Voices were cherry-picked by producers who were pushing for a choir to win because a choir has never won before.

However, the insisted the show is not “fixed” but “manipulated” to push the preferred acts to succeed.

The source was reported to have said, “It feels like they all know who is going to be in the semis before they have even performed…. It is a bit of a farce.”

BGT also came under fire over sword-swallower Alex Magala who was reported to have previously starred on a number of other reality shows and even won Russia’s Got Talent. Magala was banned from performing his act live during the semi-final amid fears the dangerous stunt could go horribly wrong.

Given that 100 Voices had enjoyed some favour from the producers, it would have come to nought if they could not deliver – but they did, convincingly. Hear them for yourselves in the videos of their audition, semi-final and final.

One of the most popular acts in last year’s series, 100 Voices of Gospel sang George Harrison’s ‘Got My Mind Set On You‘ for the semi-final and delivered a stunning mash-up of ‘I Gotta Feeling‘ and ‘Oh Happy Day‘ in the final.

So infectious was their final act that Amanda Holden gushed, “I just want to burst out of this dress and get on that stage.”

And so flawless was their performance that Cowell said: “That was what we call perfection. in every single way”, adding: ” If ever I could define what happiness feels like is watching you guys. I want to wake up to you every morning.”

If the choir had won, it would have sparked speculation that the show was rigged – but they didn’t. They emerged eighth out of 12 finalists, with magician Richard Jones taking the crown.

A veritable global village harmonising pure joy, 100 Voices of Gospel consist of singers from all over the world – more than 20 countries, including the US, UK and Africa. That’s what you really call music bringing the world together!